


A Stop in the Dark

by 1nsomnizac



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-08 00:40:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5476550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1nsomnizac/pseuds/1nsomnizac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Truck stops can get pretty creepy at night, especially if you can’t leave.<br/>EDIT: Discontinued.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Stop in the Dark

“I could go for some kielbasa,” Jane says. You spare a glance from the dark and desolate desert road for your pal.

“Keel be the boss a’ who?”

Jane does that thing where she laughs by letting air out her nose. “That one was a stretch even for you, Rox,” she says, but that little nose laugh let you know she found it at least a little funny. You smile. “Just wait till we get to Joshua Tree. It’s so much fun there, you would not believe it. It feels like a great adventure, even when you climb the same ones you did last time.”

“Adventure, eh?” Jane asks, “This has Jake’s handprints all over it. Did he take you?”

“Oh, yes, he took me, but never the way I wanted him to,” you say. The two of you share a laugh, but it fizzles out a little quickly. That whole stupid love tangle when you were sixteen is passed, and you all have a wider circle of friends now, but it still feels weird to bring it up.

“It was Dirk, actually, who took me. And Jack. It’s closer to Texas than it is to Harley Island, after all.”

“Jack? Jack Beck?”

“Not that Jack. Jack la Mancha. The one with that whole film noir schtick.”

“Oh, that guy. Did he bring that fedora and coat with him to the desert?”

You chuckle. “He did. But he only wore it at night. He was in a T-shirt and shorts during the day.”

“Re-ally,” Jane says, “the ol’ Jake Harley outfit, huh. How long ago was this?”

“First year of college. I know, I teased Dirk about it at the time. You know what he said? He smiled and said, ‘I still like the look’.”

“More like he likes to look. Does he still wear the anime shades all the time?”

“No, he gave them up.”

“Good thing,” says Jane.

It’s silent for a minute, as the road bobs along past them. You pass small bunches of buildings occasionally, surrounded by flat wastes on either side. More building can be seen against the high hills to either side which mark the edges of the world.

“You never told me what kill-bossa is.”

“kiel-ba-sa. It’s a polish sausage.”

“Kielbasa,” you repeat, “Are all polish sausages kielbasa?”

 _Puppum!_ goes the engine, and the dashboard lights flicker on. All of them. Your feel the car slow, in spite of your foot’s steady pressure on the gas pedal.

“Oh, fuck” you say.

“Oh, fuck,” Jane says as she sees your dashboard.

#####

The tow truck driver calls herself Riss Baron. She is a tall, thin woman, with thin, wiry limbs like a spider. Her glass eye unsettles you as much as her toothy smile. She seems never to stop smiling as she hooks your van to the back of her truck.

Riss finishes up and opens the passenger door to her truck. “It’s only got the one long seat, I’m afraid,” she says, “but it’s plenty wide.”

As Riss circles the truck to the far door, you gesture for Jane to go in. She shakes her head and gestures to you. You give in and step into the cabin, sliding your tuches over until you’re in the exact center. Riss slides in next to you and grins. The way she maintains unblinking eye contact with one eye and unblinking almost-eye contact with the other while she grins sets you recoiling involuntarily.

“Oh, you’re nervous, arncha? Don’t worry hun, The truck stop isn’t much further, and both my eyes will be on the road.”

You look down, a little ashamed. “Sorry.”

“It ain’t nothing at all… Ruby?”

“Roxy.”

“Roxy. I like that. Tell ya what, Roxy, why don’t you pick the radio station?”

“Okay, but I don’t know the stations around here.”

“Just tell me what kind of music you want, and I’ll give you some station numbers.”

“How about pop?”

She lists off a few stations. You tune in to one, and the sound of Bastille’s “Pompeii” fills the cabin. Riss put the truck into gear, and you are on your way.

_And if you close your eyes,_

_does it almost feel_

_like you’ve been here before_

_How am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

#####

Now that Riss is focusing the road and not on you, her smile feels a lot less creepy and you start to relax. You start to feel a little guilty for being creeped out by Riss and her glass eye. The radio station cuts to commercial.

“Where were you two headed?” Riss asks.

“Joshua Tree,” you reply.

“Joshua Tree,” she says, “That’s still a ways off. You two wouldn’t get there for another two hours if you didn’t have car trouble. How far have you guys come?”

“We started in Washington,” Jane says.

“Woah, that far north? You two must have been driving for days!”

“We have been on the road for a while,” Jane says, “but we’ve stopped a few places on our way.”

“Sounds like a ton of fun,” says Riss, “I took a trip like that once, back when I was a cute young thing. There’s nothing quite like travelling, is there? Seeing the unfamiliar, drinking it in. It’s tiring stuff, to drive very long though. Needs your attention the whole way.”

“Yeah,” you say.

“You know, when we get to the truck stop, you two should take a load off. The diner there's got some big portions. Get a booth, take your time on a meal, and by the time you’re done I’ll know what’s up with your car.”

“Do you have any ideas what the problem is?” you ask. The road starts on a slow slope, and the tow truck follows it up.

“Well, stalling out can be the fault of a bunch of things, same with all the dash lights turning on, but most of the time, it’s not the same problem that does both. Don’t worry, though. They’ve yet to make a gas engine old Riss Baron can’t fix.”

You crest the hill and see the lights of a building in the distance.

“Is that the place?” you ask.

“That’s the place,” Riss says, “the Barren Spinner Truck Stop.”

The music starts again.

_Black dress_

_with the tights underneath_

_She’s got the breath of a last cigarette on her teeth…_


End file.
